Mumbai have announced their 16-member squad for their opening Ranji Trophy 2026-27 fixture against Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium from October 11. The 42-time champions will be led by Siddhesh Lad, with Ayush Mhatre appointed vice-captain.

The biggest talking point is the absence of Suryakumar Yadav, who made himself available for the tournament but was not considered by the selection committee. The India star has been out of competitive cricket since the Mumbai T20 League in June and has not played red-ball cricket for around 18 months.

Suryakumar Yadav misses out despite making himself available

Suryakumar reportedly sent a message to the Mumbai selection committee, led by Rajesh Pawar, expressing his availability for the Ranji Trophy. However, the selectors opted against including him in the squad for the opening fixture. Pawar said Suryakumar remains a big-match player and a proven performer for Mumbai but needs to regain his rhythm with a few red-ball matches. His long absence from the format has prompted the selectors to take a cautious approach before bringing him back into the setup.

“He is obviously a big-match player and a proven performer for Mumbai. We just want him to get into rhythm by playing a few red-ball matches. Surya hasn’t played a red-ball match for the last 18 months, so we want him to have a few games under his belt and then he can get into the team,” Pawar said.

Mhatre, meanwhile, has been handed the vice-captaincy as Mumbai look to groom the 19-year-old for a future leadership role. He recently led India to the Under-19 World Cup title and has played 13 first-class matches over the last two years.

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Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan included in Mumbai squad

Yashasvi Jaiswal has made himself available and retained his place in the squad, while Sarfaraz Khan has also been included after featuring for the Rest of India in the Irani Cup. Suryansh Shedge is unavailable after earning a place in India A’s squad for the three-match ODI series in Puducherry.

Shardul Thakur is also expected to miss the first two matches after fracturing his right middle finger. Mumbai will begin their campaign against Chandigarh at the Wankhede Stadium on October 11, with the team hoping to make a strong start under new captain Siddhesh.

Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad: Siddhesh Lad (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ayush Mhatre (vice-captain), Divyansh Saxena, Musheer Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Suved Parkar, Aakash Anand (wk), Hardik Tamore (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Atharva Ankolekar, Tushar Deshpande, Mohit Awasthi, Sylvester Dsouza, Onkar Tarmale.

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